for a closer look, we're joined by steve mcmahon and david brody, chief political correspondent for the christian broadcasting network. david, thank you for joining us, and steve, always. this is pretty good reporting by politico. talked to a dozen people in the obama inner circle, who say mitt romney is weird. why that word, weird? >> well, it's suedo to the whole mormonism issue. that's clear. i'm surprised they're bringing it in early, but creating a narrative early enough for romney to get pegged this way. we knew it would happen if romney was the nominee. surprising it happened so quickly. >> this idea of targeting early. it's an old california thing, run the negatives in the summer, but this is the summer before. >> actuali it's not that unusual for an incumbent who's looking at challenging numbers, to try to define their opponent or likely opponent before the opponent gets to define themselves. something governors do, senators do. something bill clinton did -- >> what's the vulnerability? mitt romney looks like a president, the chin, family name, six kids that all look the same a

let's bring in steve mcmahon. strategist, of course, democratic, and todd harris.the sense when rick perry came in this weekend, it's sort of, the cake was baked. these other four people we kept talking about, haley, christie, not asked to come in. it's pure karl rove. he doesn't like rick perry and is sort of settling scores here? >> it's true they don't like each other. pretty public down in texas, but there has been a fair amount of buzz over the last couple of weeks whether it's just gossip, rumors, wishing, longing. there has been a fair amount of buzz among rank and file republicans wondering, is ryan going to take another look? is chris christie? >> i don't want to waste time here. >> no. to the larger question. before i get -- is this team, this three-wear option of bachmann, rick perry and romney, does that tilt just tooç far right to position your party for the general? >> no, i don't think so. >> you disagree with rove? >> no. karl didn't say that. what karl said was, look, anytime you're in a primary you don't want to go too far to the right or to the

steve mcmahon playing defense. i'm afraid to say. take it away. batting practice for you. make the case. easiest night of your life. why the president should not get re-elected for a second term? >> simply, you ask the american people, is the country heading in the right direction, and depending on what poll you look at, your latest poll was about 67% say, no. i've seen it as high as 75%. >> make an argument. what's your case? >> four things. jobs, the economy, spending, debt. every one of those indicators people are unhappy with the direction this president has taken the country. if that's what the question of the 2012 cycle is about, barack obama is in real tough shape. >> what's the biggest issue going for you? >> the economy. clearly. >> narrow it down. >> jobs specifically. the economy more broadly. look at economic indicators, economic confidence, in gallup, latest numbers, the lowest of the obama presidency. people don't think the economy is heading in the right direction. >> okay, you made your point. steve? >> listen -- >> jobs? >> it's jobs, it's the economy. the

democratic strategist, steve mcmahon. let's take a run down memory lane.f he's such a genius he would have not lost 2 1/2 million jobs, he would have cut the deficit in half like he promised. let's look at some of obama's gaffes that a lot of people didn't pay attention to. >> i've been in 57 states. on this memorial day, as our nation honors its broken line of fallen heroes, i see many in the audience here today. i don't know what the term is in treeian. wheeling and dealing. navy corpsman brushard. he responded to the men and women like corpsman brushard. >> sean: what is a navy corpsman? [ laughing ] >> i don't know sean. >> sean: he read it three times. he didn't know what a corpsman is. >> the conversation we should be having -- >> sean: listen, i want to have my conversation. i want to know what president obama doesn't know what a navy corpsman is, i want to know! that's my conversation. i ask the questions, you answer them. why did he said corpsman three times in one speech. >> sean, come on. >> sean: come on what? >> you are going to sit here and c

under "the washington post," steve mcmahon and pat buchanan.do you make of the fact romney bragged about the fact that he got better credit rating from the s&p out of massachusetts but never noted the fact he got because they raised taxes in the assembly up there? >> that wouldn't be something he would want to bring up and put out front. perhaps you think that might be advantageous to him, but it wouldn't be, chris. romney will be hit on think, the taxes, the real taxes, were enacted in the governorship before his, which was a democrat, and then he took advantage of that and got the state's credit rating raised, which i think was a good thing and cut taxes 19 times. i read that, read that closely. i don't think it's really a real issue that someone on the conservative side of the republican party can use to gray effect against romney. >> what do you think, from the liberal sides of things, an issue that shows hypocrisy? got a good credit rating but not by a wild notion he never raised taxes? >> senator kennedy used to say he wasn't pro-choice b